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Depends on which VW you are using for comparison Posted by Bill Homer [Email]  (#3427) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Bill Homer) on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:55:41
In Reply to: Cost of saab 9-5 repairs versus VWs, Matt, Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:28:11 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I have a SAAB 9000 and an Audi A4, which is somewhat equivalent to a VW Passat with leather seats and 4-Motion (VW's name for their all-wheel drive). In general, I have found that the Audi requires more service and more expensive service, as things that need repair are hard to access. A few examples:
1. VW engines have timing belts that need replacement every 60,000 to 90,000 miles - SAABs have timing chains that practically never need replacement. To access the timing belt on an A4 or Passat, you need to remove the front bumper and move the front of the car into "sevice position" or remove it entirely!
2. The thermostat on a SAAB is fairly easy to access. On a VW/Audi V6 engine, one must remove the timing belt (see #1), turning an hour job into a 6 - 8 hour job. The thermostat on my A4 died before the timing belt service was scheduled, requiring an emergency timing belt job ($$$).
3. My Audi has gone through three wheel bearings in 120,000 miles vs. one on my 180,000 mile SAAB. Wheel bearings are significantly cheaper on the Audi, but require several hours of labor to install since they are pressed into the suspension uprights, whereas the SAABs are bolted on and take less than an hour to exchange.
4. SAAB 9000s use McPherson struts for their front suspension (don't know what is on a 9-5) with a balljoint at the bottom, one control arm. A4s and Passats have an incredible front setup with four separate control arms per side, each of which has a bushing on one side and a balljoint on the other. A suspension rebuild on the SAAB consists of replacing a bushing and balljoint per side (parts are cheap), a rebuild on an A4 requires replacing all eight expensive forged aluminum control arms. Yes, the A4 is much nicer to drive than the 9000, but that's not what you are asking about.
posted by 74.93.67...
, Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:35:58
, Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:51:23, Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:04:26, Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:33:06
, Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:49:57
, Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:37:37, Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:42:49, Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:55:41 <-- Viewing This Message, Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:43:30
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